Noëmi Waysfeld& Blik

Noemi Waysfeld and her band Blik (the gaze in Yiddish) are looking towards the East, to the songs of the shtetl and the heart-wrenching ballads of Siberian prisoners. Though the imagery is laden with emotions and history, the band manages to steer clear of clichs, deconstructing Russian and Yiddish schmaltz and adding subtlety and intelligence into the mix. Though purists might be baffled, Noemi Waysfeld & Blik bring youthful originality to todays Eastern European musical styles, navigating between the mysticism of Krakauer, the iconoclasm of Yom and the theatricality of Ella Fitzgerald.